Attachments for crutches and like walking aids



Sept. 20, 1966 T. R. ALDRICH 3,273,575

ATTACHMENT FOR CRUTCHES AND LIKE WALKING AIDS Filed June 29, 1964INVENTOR. THOMAS RALDRICH,

AYTORN EV United States Patent M 3,273,575 ATTACHMENTS FOR CRUTCHES ANDLIKE WALKING AIDS Thomas R. Aldrich, 1151 Windsong Lane, Siesta Key,Sarasota, Fla. Filed June 29, 1964, Ser. No. 378,913 1 Claim. (Cl.135-62) This invention relates to attachments for crutches, canes andlike devices for assisting invalids and others in walking.

Most canes and crutches include an elongated support structure having aground-engaging lower end portion provided with a small diameter tip,which is covered with rubber or other similar material, and whichengages the ground or other surface, when the user is walking. Thisdesign is acceptable when the surface being traversed is relativelyfirm. With a crutch or cane tip carrying the load of the weight of theuser, considerable pressure is exerted upon the surface being traversed.This is of little consequence on floors, sidewalks, and other firmsurfaces. An entirely different situation arises, however, when the userdesires to traverse sand, snow, mud, or other relatively soft surfaces.

One object of the present invention is to provide a device which willpermit the user to Walk upon relatively soft surfaces.

Another object is to provide such a device which will not trip orotherwise cause the user difficulty, when the device is attached to thetips of the canes or crutches.

A still further object is to provide a device which will permit normaluse of canes or crutches, when the user is traversing a relatively firmsurface.

The device is removable so that it may be attached to the cane orcrutch, when the user anticipates need therefore and can be removed whensuch need is not contemplated. A still further object is to provide adevice, which can be used with the present canes and crutches.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details ofconstruction and cornbinations of parts hereinafter more fully describedand pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may bemade in the construction and arrangement of the parts without departingfrom the spirit of the invention as claimed.

For the purpose of illustration, a typical embodiment of the inventionis shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of an attachment in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention shown mounted on the tip of a crutch;

FIGURE 2 is a top view of the attachment with the crutch tip shown intransverse cross section;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational view of the attachment shown in FIGURE1; and

FIGURE 4 is a modification of the design shown in FIGURE 3 shown in areduced scale.

The particular embodiment shown for purposes of illustration is for useon a crutch of the well-known type having a shank 1 with a tip 2. Thetip 2 is provided with a cup of rubber or other similar material, whichcontacts the walking surface. The weight supporting device or shoemember, indicated generally as 3, comprises a generally rectangularsupport or base portion 4 with an opening 5 therethrough. The opening 5is placed on the longitudinal axis of the base 4 toward one end thereof.As shown, this location is approximately one third the length of thebase, from the front or leading edge thereof. Upstanding supportingmembers 6 are fixed to the base on opposite sides of the opening 5. The

7 3',Z73,5 Patented Sept. 20, 1966 supporting members 6 have alignedbores 7 therethrough carrying an axle 8 fixedly rmoun-ted therethrough.As shown, the axle 8 is a conventional smooth shanked bolt with nut 9fixedly securing the bolt in the bores 7 of the supporting members 6.The tip of the crutch has a bore 10 drilled therethrough of a diameterslightly larger than the axle 8. The bore 10 is positioned from the endof the crutch tip a suflicient distance, so that when the supportingdevice is mounted on the crutch by inserting the crutch tip through theopening 5 of the base 4 and passing the axle 8 through the bore 10 ofthe crutch tip, the crutch tip will extend through the shoe and projectbeneath the bottom of the base as more readily seen in FIGURE 1.

Although the shoe as shown in FIGURE 1 is fiat, if the shoe isfabricated by laminating Wood or molding plastic, the front or tipportion could be curved upwardly slightly, similar to the tip of a ski.

As seen more readily in FIGURES l and 2, the opening 5 in the shoe 4 iscentered on the longitudinal axis of the shoe and extends both forwardlyand rearwardly of the axle 8. Extending opening 5 along this axispermits angular rotation of the crutch tip about the axle 8 to aconsiderable degree, so that during normal operation the crutch tip willnot engage the front and rear edges of the opening 5, while the user ofthe crutch is walking.

The bore 10 in the crutch tip is slightly larger than the axle 8 topermit slight angular displacement of the shoe with respect to thecrutch in the lateral direction, in the event the shoe engages aslightly uneven surface. The upstanding supporting members 6 are spacedapart a sufficient distance to permit this movement without allowingappreciable sideways sliding movement of the crutch tip along the axle8.

In the modification shown in FIGURE 4, the vertical support members 6ahave their inner surfaces 6b diverging outwardly from the axle 8 so thatthe crutch can pivot lateral-1y a slight amount on the axle 8 withoutsliding thereon. The amount of angularly of the vertical support membersand the difference in diameter between the bore 10 in the crutch and theaxle 8 would determine the amount of such sideways or lateral pivoting,and thus the degree of correction for uneven ground.

It will be seen that by mounting the shoe on a conventional rubbertipped crutch, the effective bearing surface can be increased aconsiderable amount from the conventional tip surface of about 2 /2 sq.inches. With a shoe approximately 6 inches wide by 12 inches long, thebearing surface is increased to approximately 72 sq. inches (less thearea of opening 5) or an increase of approximately 25 times.

In operation, it will be seen the user can operate his crutch in thenormal fashion. When it is determined he will be involved in traversingsoft areas, which would not support the weight placed on the small tipof a crutch, the shoes can be quickly and easily mounted on thecrutches. Until the user reaches the soft area, the crutches will stillfunction in the normal manner. The crutch tip extending through the shoewill engage the firm walking surface. The shoe will be carried in aslightly upward position, say on the order of three-fourths of an inch,depending upon the amount of the crutch tip extending through the shoe.Since the crutch tip is mounted forwardly of the center line of theshoe, the shoe will gravitate pivotally and tend to hang with the backor trailing edge 11 of the shoe extending downwardly, and the front ortip portion 12 of the shoe extending upwardly. Thus the shoe will nottend to catch or otherwise engage the ground in such a way as to tripthe user.

When the user enters upon soft ground, sand or other surfaces which maynot support the weight placed upon a crutch tip, the crutch tip willsink into the surface, thus bringing the entire shoe into engagementtherewith. The users weight is then transferred from the crutch throughaxle 8 to the shoe, and the entire surface of the shoe will act as abearing surface on the ground. The pivoting action of the crutch tipwith respect to the shoe will permit normal Walking by the user. As thecrutch is lifted from the ground to be extended forward in preparationfor another step, the shoe will pivot with respect to the crutch withthe trailing edge 11 again extending downward, thus avoiding thetendency of tripping the user when on soft ground or sand. The trailingedge of the shoe can have weight added thereto, if necessary, in orderto assure this pivoting action to avoid the possibility of the shoecatching against small obstacles.

The axle 8 could also be a spring loaded rod, or a metal collar could beprovided with aligned bores extending through the crutch or not asdesired. The invention is directed to the use of a supporting membermounted on a crutch or cane and not the specific means of attaching thebolt or axle means to the vertical supporting members and the crutch.

It is also to be noted that when the shoe is used on sand or snow, whichmay have a tendency to be slippery if the user is going up or down hill,the crutch tip extending into the surface will reduce the tendency forthe shoe to slide, thus further adding to the safety of the user.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that I have provided an appliancefor attachment to a conventional crutch or cane, which will permit theuser to walk on surfaces, which would normally create great difficultyfor the user. The device does not require a special crutch or cane, isreadily attachable and removable therefrom by means which, when thedevice is not mounted, have no effect upon the crutch or cane and theuse thereof.

Having fully described my invention, it is to be understood that I amnot to be limited to the details herein set forth, but that my inventionis of the full scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

An attachment for a walking aid of the type including an elongatedsupport having a ground-engaging lower end portion comprising, incombination,

an elongated shoe member having an opening therethrough,

said shoe member comprising a front portion located forwardly of saidopening and a rear portion located rearwardly of said opening;

a pair of upstanding members fixed to said shoe member and spaced aparttransversely thereof with each of said upstanding members disposed at adifferent side of said opening,

said opening being dimensioned to accommodate the ground-engaging lowerend portion of the walking aid to which the attachment is applied, insuch fashion that such lower end portion extends between said upstandingmembers, said upstanding members each being provided with a lateralopening, said lateral openings being aligned transversely of said shoemember and alignable with a transverse opening in the lower end portionof the walking aid; and

pivot shaft means carried by said upstanding members extending acrosssaid opening and transversely of said shoe member, and said pivot shaftmeans comprising an axle extending through said aligned openings, and

said pivot shaft means being operative to removably count said shoemember on the groundengaging lower end portion of the walking aid withsaid shoe member then free to pivot about said pivotal axis relative tothe ground-engaging lower end portion of the walking aid,

said rear portion of said shoe member being heavier than said frontportion whereby, when the Walking aid is raised to free the lower endportion thereof from the ground, said shoe member will gravitatepivotally to cause said front portion to swing upwardly and said rearportion to swing downwardly, said shoe member thus automaticallyassuming a position in which said front portion will not tend to catchon or otherwise engage the ground in such manner as to trip the user.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 887,663 5/1908Lee l82ll X 1,504,902 8/1924 Rosenhein 57 1,897,840 2/ 1933 Greene 182111 2,449,509 9/1948 Richards 135-58 2,552,941 5/1951 Courtney 182-107 X3,151,875 10/1964 Marchand 280-11.37 3,170,475 2/1965 Forbes 13557FOREIGN PATENTS 88,489 2/1937 Sweden.

HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

L. J. SANTISI, Assistant Examiner.

